This means that initially you don't need to switch all of the internal devices on your network over to IPv6. Even the U.S. Office of Management and Budget will be using the for most of the federal system at first, converting outward-facing systems to IPv6 in 2012, and then the rest in 2014.

A lot of small businesses will find that their Internet service providers not only lack a deadline for moving to IPv6 but also don't offer IPv6 addresses or services yet.

And a great many small-business-oriented products don't yet support IPv6. For some products, adding such support may require only a software upgrade; many older products may never receive that, however, so new hardware might be necessary to make the switch.

Because IPv6 can add security, increase performance, and offer other advantages such as ease of use and network traffic flow control, it's worth planning for. Generally, though, it's no rush for most small businesses.

A possible exception is if you use , which may require IPv6 addresses sooner rather than later, depending on the . If this is the case, your VoIP service provider should give you substantial advance notice.